An Icon Passes: Goodbye, Yashji

When a legend leaves, a legacy remains. Yash Chopra will forever be the “King of Romance,” a title no other director, producer or actor can claim.

But to refer to Mr. Chopra as just the “King of Romance” is to place a limit on his talent. Mr. Chopra was also the man behind violent and rustic classics. “Deewar” gave Amitabh Bachchan the nickname of “Angry Young Man,” and in “Mashaal” he took on a socially relevant subject that won Anil Kapoor accolades, while he rustled feathers with a borderline incestuous love affair between Sridevi and Mr. Kapoor in “Lamhe.” Mr. Chopra was a creative filmmaker, always ahead of the game – but the game in which he excelled was the game of love.

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To utter Mr. Chopra’s name is to pay homage to the romantic love stories that have become emblematic pieces of Indian culture and cinema. His upcoming Diwali release “Jab Tak Hain Jaan” will most likely go down in cinematic history as a film that marked the end of an era – a time when we were blessed by this great and inspiring individual.

Mr. Chopra died in Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital after contracting dengue fever. He was 80, and is survived by his wife and two sons. News of his death spread throughout the world Sunday.

I sank into a reflective mood. Why was Mr. Chopra so significant to me? Why was I so sad to hear about the passing of a man who I never knew? Why did I feel that his death marked the end of an era of cinema that I loved? Then it dawned upon me, thanks to the words of my friend Rohan: “He [Mr. Chopra] taught me how to dance, dream and how to live.”

Mr. Chopra had many films and successes to his name by the time my filmi consciousness kicked in, but it wasn’t until 1997 that he released a film that immortalized my fascination, passion and love for Bollywood – “Dil To Pagal Hai.”

Like any die hard Madhuri Dixit fan, I watched every single film in which she starred, but “Dil To Pagal Hai” was truly special. The film delivered a highly emotional story about the notion of the “soul-mate.” How typical of Bollywood you may think, but this was a truly touching tale, with its tagline “Someone, somewhere is made for you.”

Mr. Chopra’s perspective on cinema was great and his notion of love, even more so. He never left room for doubt, and he loved the idea of being loved and loving someone else. He made the idea of falling in love believable and he made you believe that the process could be magical.

Mr. Chopra explored love to the fullest, painting it in all shades, whether it was an extra-marital affair in “Silsila,” the controversial relationship in “Lamhe,” infatuation and obsession in “Darr,” or a love that existed beyond the politics and controversy of India-Pakistan border relations. Love was the crux of all Mr. Chopra’s films.

We will feel Mr. Chopra’s absence – he leaves a void that cannot be filled. But we can rest assured that Mr. Chopra would have wanted us to continue loving and believing in love. And that we will, through his great films.

Daniel is an expert on Indian movies and the celebrated ‘Bollywood Insider’ on Canadian entertainment show ‘Bollywood Boulevard.’ You can follow him on Twitter @Daniel_Pillai

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